Truly amazing places in Saigon tourists must visit

Sat, Apr 23rd 2016 06:00 pm

The view to Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica from April 30 Park.

The bustling
nightlife of Ben Thanh Market, the unique architecture of Presidential Palace
and the pure air of April 30 Park are some of the fascinating things tourists
must check out when coming to Saigon

ByTrung Mai

Special to NFP

Saigon, currently named and still also referred to as Ho Chi
Minh City, is the largest city of Vietnam in terms of population size and level
of urbanization, as well as the economic leader and one of the important
cultural and education centers.

Each place or sight of this city carries a distinctive
character in an impressive and mesmerizing way. Here are a few places that
always attract foreign tourists.

Bui Vien Street

Located at the heart of District 1, Bui Vien Street is one of
the first destinations of foreign tourists when they visit this city. Perhaps
the noise and animation, as well as several languages and skin colors, are the
specific characteristic of this street. The path is not too long, but has hundreds
of hotels, restaurants, bars and coffee shops. Everything in this street even
brings in diversity and uniqueness for the street.

The exuberance of Bui
Vien Street, with so many shops and inns and visitors in the night.

The cuisine of Bui Vien Street is also very interesting and
appetizing, with so many dishes such as chicken wings, fresh beer and barbecue
seafood. The tourists can sit outside to enjoy food and drinks, and watch many
absorbing activities and shows.

Recently, this path has been considered a walking street. If
so, it will be amazing for any tourist coming there.

Saigon is popular for its hurried lifestyle, but behind that
scenes are still some peaceful and separated corners. April 30 Park appears as
a calm place where tourists can take a seat, then watch the bustling crowd
passing by and gaze at the front Notre-Dame Cathedral Basilica.

Some
cheerful and interesting activities and conversations occur each afternoon at
April 30 Park.

One of the attractive things for any tourist is café bệt, which means "coffee on the
pavement." Having found a suitable seat on the pavement of the park, visitors
can order a cup of Saigon coffee to enjoy and talk boisterously together.

Ben Thanh Market has been a symbol associated with the city
for a very long time. It is not only a business place, but also an interesting
area for any guest. In addition to the main space during the day, the night
market is located within two sides of the inside of the market. The booths are
displayed in the afternoon, but gradually become crowded at 8 p.m. and last
until late night.

The
brilliant and beautiful Ben Thanh Market, with the blue lights in the night.

"I've just come to Vietnam for two days, but I feel very
enthusiastic and have so much fun with the nightlife of Ben Thanh Market. It is
so sparkling and joyful," said Jjessie, a tourist from Switzerland.

Located at Saigon's center, the Presidential Palace, also
known as Reunification Palace or Reunification Hall, is a typical architectural
structure of Saigon. It is ranked as a special national historical relic.

Perhaps history and architecture are the two main factors that
make this place an appealing sight for foreign tourists. Built from 1868-71,
the structure of this place was designed by a French architect. However, in
1962, its structure was rebuilt through the blueprint of a Vietnamese architect
named Thu Ngo. This way probably gave the Palace an appearance of a massive
French architectural structure, but still had many original sketchy lines of
Eastern architecture.

The fresh and green
view of the outside of the Presidential Palace.

Being covered by lots of green trees and grass with a clean
and cool atmosphere, even though lying at the city center, the Presidential
Palace still brings in the comfortable and pleasant feeling for any visitor
stepping in.

"Sightseeing there just feels like going into a journey
of finding the source of the city through the vicissitudes of historical
years," said Jjessie's friends.

The museum was founded in 1987. In the past, the museum was
a Chinese bourgeoisie's residence. Designed in the popular Baroque style, it
was one of the first houses having unique architecture in Saigon. Through
nearly a century, the work still retains the characteristics of the
architecture. It collects, preserves and displays some of the art objects of
Saigon and the surrounding areas.

The ancient and
unique architectural structure of Fine Arts Museum, home to many artifacts.

Tourists can visit here to gaze at some collections of ancient
artifacts, such as southern stone arts, old Saigon pottery, Bien Hoa art
pottery and Champa art. With over 21,000 various artifacts and precious
collections of paintings, the Fine Arts Museum is a major art center of
Vietnam. It becomes very outstanding and profound in the visitors' eyes.